Thursday, April 26, 2012

Ham and Asparagus Quiche

Some days, I crave eggs. It's sort of crazy, but I could go for weeks without even thinking about eggs, and then one day it hits me like a ton of bricks. That's what happened this week...and luckily for me, I had a package of frozen Pillsbury pie crusts in the freezer. Quiche for dinner!

This quiche recipe is both delicious and lighter than most quiche recipes you will find, because it uses fat free half and half instead of cream. I love this base recipe and really, you could add just about ANYTHING you like into the filling. I searched my fridge, and ended up with this combo of ham and asparagus..with the addition of onions, red peppers and of course, cheese. If I would have had some mushrooms in the fridge, they would have been in there too! :)

One of the best thing about this recipe is that it makes two quiches. Each serves six. If you don't eat both the quiches right away, the extra quiche can be frozen. The baked quiches freeze beautifully, and can be thawed and reheated in about 30 minutes. Paired with a fresh garden salad and some fresh fruit, this makes a super quick and easy weeknight meal.

Of course you could use your own pie crust as well...but I really like the Pillsbury frozen ones and for this quiche, they taste almost as good as homemade with far less work. As for "crustless" quiche...well, call me a purest, but I believe a quiche isn't a quiche without a flaky crust. :)

These quiches don't take very long to assemble...Start by sauteing up all the veg and ham in a nonstick pan...

Add one fourth of filling to each pre-baked pie crust...

Followed by 1/4th of the cheeses...

Then pour 1/4th of the egg mixture on top...and repeat all layers...

Until everything is all used up!

And then bake both pies at 350 degrees F for 40 - 45 minutes or until the middle is set. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into it...and then ENJOY!!

1 cup roughly chopped asparagus ( I used frozen spears that I slightly defrosted under cool water so I could chop them)

1 cup diced lean ham (5% fat)

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

5 large eggs

1/2 cup eggbeaters

1 cup skim milk

1 cup fat free half and half

1 TBS. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups reduced fat cheese of your choice ( I used cheddar)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bake the pie shells according to package directions, take shells out to cool slightly. Turn oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter on med high heat, and add in the onion and pepper and asparagus ( if using fresh). Cook until they begin to soften. Add in the ham and the thyme. (you can also salt and pepper the mixture if you like. I do) If using frozen asparagus, like I did, cook the onion and pepper until soft, then add in the asparagus with the ham. Turn off heat and set mixture aside.

4. Now you are ready to layer the quiches...begin with 1/4th of the veg/meat mixture on the bottom of each pie shell, followed by 1/4 of the cheeses, then 1/4th of the egg mixture and repeat until all the meat/veg mixture, cheeses, and egg mixture is used up.

5. Bake the quiches in a 350 degree F oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until the quiches are set. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

*If freezing the second quiche...wrap well in foil and plastic. When ready to reheat, thaw quiche and cook at 350 degrees F for 20 - 30 minutes or until warmed through.

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This was a yummy dinner one night, and my second quiche is in the freezer for another meal. A Sunday brunch, perhaps! I served this with a garden salad and some of the best cantaloupe I have eaten this season. Even with the pie crust, this made a very nice WW friendly dinner!

Like I mentioned...I think a quiche should have a flaky bakery type crust. That's just me. How about you? Is the crust important to you...or could you do without?

10 comments:

Looks yummy, Renee! Hey, my hubby came up with the idea of using a really large high fiber/low fat tortilla as the crust for quiche. It works pretty well for us and you don't have all those extra points for the pie crust.

I've been using that brand of crust for a long time before trying to do it myself on Easter since it was a last minute decision to make quiche for breakfast! My brother and boyfriend LOVE quiche and will eat it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

It's a great way to add vegetables in there too :)

You know after cooking at home so long, I stare at restaurant prices and just can't justify paying $9 for a slice of quiche lol!

It's nice because even though this recipe makes two, you can freeze the second one for another time...and you could actually cut up the first one and eat what you want and then freeze the leftover pieces as well. :)